Fastening device



April 7, 1942. B. \COTTER 2,278,691

FASTENING DEVICE Filed March 15, 1939 II IIIIIIII/j) Enventor 3m cpzzw Patented Apr. 7,

FASTENING DEVICE Bart Cotter, Detroit, Mich., asslgnor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a. corporation of Delaware Application March 15, 1939, Serial No. 261,914 6 Claims. (01. 24-73) This invention relates to fastening devices and has particular reference to a fastening device used to secure electric wires to the bottom of the floor of an automotive vehicle.

In the prior art the devices used had a part which projected above the upper surface of the fioorboard and while they were satisfactory as far as securing the wires in place was concerned, these devices were objectionable because of the projection above the surface of the floor. A fab rlc covering is usually placed over the floor of the automoblleand if a projecting part appears under the carpet, such as the sharp edge or corner of a fastening 'device, it interferes with the smooth surface of the floor and also causes a hole to wear in the cover. This has' been very objectionable and the object of the present in-' vention is to make a fastening device and so defastening device of the invention is inserted and this fastening device has a finger formed from the base of the fastening device and projecting away therefrom and as the base and the finger are inserted in the opening at the edge of the projection, the finger will pass. under the lower surface of the floor and spring up into the depression and the edge of the finger will engage the edge of the fioor at the opening to prevent the removal of the clip or fastening device.

The-finger is preferably bent from the base on a line diagonal thereto so that the line of the edge of the finger will form an acute angle with the plane of the base.

On the drawing Figure 1 shows a view of the underside of an automotive vehicle with the fastening device in place and holding an electric wire.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing the fastening device and wire removed.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the clip or fastening device.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view through the floor at one of the depressions and showing the fastening device in place.

Figures 5 and 6 are views similar to Figure 4 but showing different forms of the fastening device.

Figure 7 is a bottom plan view of the structure of Figure 5.

- Figure 8 is a sectional view of a modification.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 2 indicates the floor of an automotive vehicle, although edge of the base.

the line 23 (Figure 3) with the edge line at the it may be any other surface to which the fastening device may be applied. At suitable and convenient parts of the door a depressed part such as shown at t is formed by pressing the metal of the floor downwardly from the surface 5 thereof. This depressed part i is shorn away at one side as indicated at 8 to leave an edge on the floor at it against which a part of thefastening device may engage as will be later described. At the other three sides of the depressed part t, the metal is not shorn but is integral with the floor as indicated at l2.

The fastening device of the invention is indicated as a whole at It. This fastening device comprises the relatively fiatbase l6 and the holding part I8 which is adapted to receive and hold the electric wire 20. The base is is substantially flat but having a slight curvature as is best shown is formed from the base part It, the side of the.

opening formed by the finger being parallel to the sides of the base it, but the end 26 of the .finger being formed at an acute angle to the end Compare the inclination of rounded part 30. The fingerv is bent onthe line M which is substantially on a diagonal of the base IS. The reason for bending the finger 22 on the diagonal 24 is so that the edge face 26 of the finger will be at an angle to the edge It of the fioor and engage the floor at a point as is shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6. The reason for having the finger edge 28 formed'along the inclined line 23 is to cause the fastener to creep inward to the position of Figure 4 in case the fastener should not initially be pushed to the position of Figure 4. The inclination of the edge 26 will continually cause the fastener to work to its final position.

part which is shaped to form the eye indicated The application of the device is as follows: the

'end or tip of the base I! of the clip is placed in the opening at the end of the projection 8 and by forcing the clip to the left (Figures 4, 5 and 6) the finger 22 will ride under the lower surface of the fioor 2 and when its tip 20 has passed the edge It it will spring upwards so that the edge 28 will engage against the edge It if the opening. The rounded part 30 and the eye I2 will allow the base to expand relative to the holding part and "the edge at I of the metal at the opening.' will be re celved in the eye 32. It will be noted from Figures 4, 5 and 6 that the securing edge 2b 05. the fastening device has the uppermost part below the upper surface I of the floor so that smooth fioor surface is uninterrupted and the usual carpet or covering may be placed on the door without interference by any projection.

In Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 the only difierence in the clip is in the shape of the holding part. In Figures 5 and 7 the clip has the two arms lilo and 18b each of which is adapted to hold a 29 and in Figure 6 the holding part liic is o1 different shape to hold a somewhat larger diameter wire No, but in each instance the finger t2 and the manner or application is the same.

In Figure 8 the iioor 55 (or the body side) hos no depression, but merely a shot-n finger 3 to make an opening for the insertion of the factener. A holding part it? comprises two lateral wings i803 and lily having inclined sides 582 against which the edges of flanges F of a molding M are adapted to abut to hold the molding" in place. The structure of parts it, 22 and 22; are the same as in the species of Figure 3.

I claim:

1. In combination with the metal floor of an automotive vehicle, a plurality of depressions formed in the floor by pressing the metal away from the floor, the metal at one side of said depression being. shorn away from the floor to leave an opening at one side, a fastening device adapted to be secured in the depressed part and projecting away from the floor on the underside thereof, said device having a part entering the opening and being secured in the depression, but lying below the plane of the upper surface of the floor, said part entering the opening being wider than the opening, a finger on said part, said finger being sprung into the depression and past the edge of the opening, the edge of the finger engaging the edge of the opening when the fastening device is in place.

7 2. In combination with the metal fioor of an automotive vehicle, a plurality of depressions formed in the fioor by pressing the metal away from the floor, the metal at one side of said depression being shorn away from the fioor to leave an opening at one side, a fastening device adapted to be secured in the depressed part and projecting away from thefioor on the underside thereof. said device having a base and a finger pressed away from the base, said finger and said base adapted to be inserted into the opening in the floor and be received in the depression, the

edge of said finger engaging with the edge of the opening at a single point to prevent withdrawal of the device, the part of the device entering the depression and opening lying below the plane of the upper surface of the floor.

3, In a fastening device adapted to be applied to an opening and comprising a base and a holding part, said base being generally fiat, said base and holding part being bent upon each other to form a rounded part, said rounded part limiting the extent to which the clip is insertable in the opening, a fiat broad finger bent away from the flat of the base intermediate its ends and on substantially a diagonal thereof, and an end edge on said finger having substantially a point engagement with the edge of the opening to prevent the withdrawal of the device when in place.

4. In a. fastening device adapted to be applied to an opening and comprising a base and a holding part, said base being generally flat, said base and holding part being bent upon each other to form a rounded part, said rounded part limiting the extent to which the clip is insertable in the opening, a finger bent from the flat of the base intermediate its ends, and an end edge on said finger adapted to engage with the edge oi the opening to hold the device in place, the line of the end edge of said finger being transverse to the edge of the opening to give the edge of the finger a. longer possible contact surface.

5. In a fastening device adapted to be applied to an opening and comprising a base and a holding part, said base being generally fiat, said base and holding part being bent upon each other to form a rounded part, said rounded part limiting the extent to which the clip is insertable in the opening, a finger bent away from the flat of the base intermediate the ends thereof on substantiallya diagonal thereof, and an end on said finger adapted to engage with the edge of the opening to hold the device in place, the engaging edge of said finger being out of parallelism with the edge of the opening to give to the finger a longer possible contact surface and forming an angle other than a. right angle with the lateral edge of the finger.

6. In a fastening device adapted to be applied to an opening and comprising a base and a holding part, said base being generally fiat, said base and holding part being bent upon each other to 'form a rounded part, said rounded part limiting the extent to which the clip is insertable in the opening, a finger bent away from the fiat of the base intermediate the ends thereof, and an end edge on said finger adapted to engage with the edge or the opening to hold the device in place, the line of, the end edge of said finger being out of parallelism with the edge of the opening and forming an actute angle with the plane of the base to give the edge of the finger a longer possible contact surface, the engaging ed e of said finger forming an angle other than a right angle with the lateral edge of the finger.

BART COTTER. 

